Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje on Friday, 3 July alleged that illegal birth certificates were being issued through cyber centres across Karnataka following the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and called on the Election Commission of India (ECI) to intervene immediately. The allegations were made at a press conference held at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru.

Key Allegations Against the State Government

Karandlaje, who holds charge of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment, alleged that the issuance of birth certificates through cyber centres had risen sharply after the SIR process commenced. She further alleged that the Karnataka state government was attempting to issue permanent residence certificates to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

'In Karnataka, birth certificates are being issued illegally through cyber centres. The issuance of such certificates has increased after the SIR process started. The Chief Minister has also said that permanent residence certificates would be issued. Those who were born and have lived here do not require such certificates. We have our homes and our names are already in the electoral rolls,' she said.

She further alleged: 'You are trying to issue residence certificates to illegal Bangladeshis and to those brought from places where the SIR exercise has not been conducted.'

Electoral Roll Manipulation Claims

Karandlaje alleged that the state government's actions were aimed at influencing future elections, specifically the upcoming polls to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). She claimed a 'systematic conspiracy' was underway to include voters from one particular community in the electoral rolls.

'The intention of the Chief Minister and the state government is to win the next election through illegal means. Therefore, the Election Commission should immediately intervene and take appropriate action,' she said.

She also claimed that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were acting on the oral instructions of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and were adding illegal residents to the rolls without following prescribed procedures. She alleged that BLOs had not been given proper training, that mapping was not being carried out, and that enumeration forms were being dropped at houses rather than processed correctly.

Bangladeshi Migration and Regularisation Claims

The Union Minister claimed that minority leaders had, over the years, facilitated the entry of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into Karnataka and that efforts were now being made to regularise them as residents and voters. She also alleged that following Assembly elections in Bihar and West Bengal, several illegal Bangladeshi migrants had moved to Karnataka, with some already having been detected by authorities.

'There is a conspiracy to make illegal Bangladeshis residents of Karnataka and include them as voters,' she alleged.

BJP's Defence of the SIR Exercise

While levelling allegations against the state government's conduct, Karandlaje simultaneously defended the SIR exercise itself, noting it was being conducted after nearly two decades. She said the exercise was designed to identify illegal voters, remove deceased electors from rolls, and improve overall accuracy — particularly in urban areas where multiple registrations and post-relocation entries had reportedly suppressed polling percentages.

Senior BJP leaders including Bengaluru South district president and MLA C.K. Ramamurthy, Bengaluru North district president S. Harish, and Bengaluru Central district president Saptagiri Gowda were present at the press conference. The Karnataka state government had not issued a formal response to these allegations at the time of the press conference.